Department of Health and Social Care

DNACPR Decisions: Coronavirus

Lord Balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reported increase in the use of Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation orders during the COVID-19 pandemic, what additional guidance they have provided to hospitals regarding consulting patients and their families prior to such ordersbeing issued; and when this guidance was distributed.

Lord Bethell: Failure to consult people and their families on decisions around CPR causes significant distress and we have taken decisive action to prevent this from happening. NHS England and NHS Improvement clinical leaders issued a number of letters to the health and social care system throughout April and May 2020, and in March 2021, to clarify best practice around do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions.Joint guidance for clinicians from the British Medical Association, the Resuscitation Council UK and Royal College of Nursing reflects that agreement to a DNACPR is an individual decision and should involve the person concerned or, where the person lacks capacity, their families, carers, guardians or other legally recognised advocates. The Department reiterated this message in the Adult Social Care Winter Plan in 2020.The DNACPR Ministerial Oversight Group continues to review the resources available to ensure adherence to DNACPR guidance across the system. Sensitive and well communicated DNACPRs can and should be an important part of patient care and end of life experience. We are committed to taking continued action to ensure those decisions are managed and communicated well in all settings.

General Practitioners: Coronavirus

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letters from NHS England and NHS Improvement to GP practices dated 17 March 2020 and 4 August 2020, when additional costs related to COVID-19 borne by dispensing GPs will be reimbursed.

Lord Bethell: Dispensing practices continue to be reimbursed for additional costs related to COVID-19 in the same way as non-dispensing practices. At the beginning of the pandemic the COVID-19 support fund for general practice (GP) reimbursed practices for additional expenditure they incurred for absence cover, bank holiday opening and the costs of some consumables.  A further £270 million has been made available from November 2020 until September 2021, allocated to systems and ring-fenced exclusively for use in GP to ensure practices can continue to provide the necessary care for all patients.

Veterans: Mental Health Services

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide additional mental health support for UK veterans of the war in Afghanistan.

Lord Bethell: In England, veterans are able to access both mainstream and veteran specific services. There are several bespoke veterans’ services in place to meet the needs of military personnel, veterans and their families. This includes very strong mental health support, known as ‘Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service’, which has received over 16,000 referrals to date. Together these services provide a complete mental health care pathway for veterans with individuals benefitting from personalised care plans, ensuring they can access support and treatment both in and out of hours.The Government has committed an additional £2.7 million to expand these services which will directly benefit at-risk veterans, some of whom may have been impacted by the recent events in Afghanistan.

Department for International Trade

Trade Promotion

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to streamline administration of support to the UK’s export scheme to help small firms access trade programmes more easily.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: To make access to UK Export Finance (UKEF) support quicker and easier for firms, the General Export Facility is being delivered through leading high street lenders on a delegated basis, so that in many instances a guarantee can be granted automatically and with little waiting time. UKEF has also increased the amount that participating banks can administer automatically from £2 million to £5 million, allowing applications to be processed more quickly.